Leading to the official announcement for my website, I have spent a lot of time thinking what would be the best site title (or name) for a website that features a collection of poems, essays, stories and research works. The search for the title of the site goes back to 2013, the year I started using WORDPRESS. That was the  year (2013) I slowly started from the ground up in developing this website.

Coming out with a website of my own was not an easy thing to do because I have no background, as in zero, in developing websites. The CSS and HTML codes are all Greek to me. But I have a “mixed bag” with me all the time. It contains very priceless items. Items extremely valuable… patience, determination, resourcefulness and willingness to learn. Here I am, after three long years, I now have my official personal website.

By the way, HARDPEN is my nom de plume. It’s not HARDEN. I have been using HARDPEN long before James Harden’s offensive prowess and beard made him a popular NBA player. Besides, he’s not on top of my list, it’s the other James I consider my favorite –  Lebron James.

I actually have different names and pseudonyms.

The first site title I used was actually Hardpen’s Journal. But I don’t find it appealing. Then I saw some site titles using the word HUB and others LOG. I changed Hardpen’s Journal to Hardpen’s Hub. Later it became Hardpen’s Log. They are both good for a site title but the point is that they are not original… not mine. I was not comfortable using them.

I thought of using other words like “collections’ and “portfolio but I eventually dropped the idea also. They are very common just like “journal.”

I also considered “creative juices.” It sounds cute but goes a little bit off on a tangent.

Then I recalled using the term “mixed bag” when I was discussing diversity in my Multicultural Education class in the Graduate school at the beginning of the semester. I checked for the definitions in online dictionaries and they all refer to one thing – “different or a diverse assortment of things or people.” Having “mixed bag” in the site title fits my website because here you can see a mixture of academic and literary writings… here you can  read my research works and the poems, essays, and stories I have written in both English and Filipino.

A couple of definitions of “mixed bag” pointed to something negative also, something like “having both positive and negative qualities or aspects. I consider that also fitting for my website for admittedly, some of my writings maybe considered bad… depending on who is reading and depending on the perspectives the readers take when reading my works.

For now my goal is to make my website a bag full of prose and poetry… of fiction and non-fiction.

So officially, my website becomes HARDPEN’S MIXED BAG.

Whenever you have free time please open this BAG and pick up a thing or two to read.  In one pocket of this bag you can also leave your comments and suggestions. Openness to constructive criticism is a key to improving one’s craft.

Peace!